Development of Synapses in Mouse Purkinje Cells

Presenter: Sanjana Chimaladinne, Neuroscience , Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum I did a research internship at the Lichtman Lab at Harvard University. The research was in the developmental and Neuroscience field, and specifically focused on the development of a Purkinje Cell synapses. I studied the connections between 7 day old Purkinje Cell and parallel fiber axons, and found that there were 3 distinct classes of synapses with different levels of maturation. I also investigated structures on the cell that protrude and interact with axons, called filopodia. We found their purpose and significance in a developmental sense to increase surface area to facilitate synapse formation. I learned about the connectivity patterns in the cerebellum and that issues in these patterns can cause neurodegenerative disorders. If we can comprehensively understand the connections, this research can be applied to NDDs and we can see at how the disordered brain is different from a non disordered brain, which can help us start coming up with strategies for therapeutics.